Papal confidante Father Antonio Spadaro retweeted a call for EWTN to be severely censured “until they get rid of Raymond Arroyo.”

The call for an “interdict” to be imposed on the Catholic media empire started by Mother Angelica came from Anthony Annett, Assistant to the Director at the International Monetary Fund’s Communications Department.

An interdict is essentially one step short of excommunication. It bans a person or people from accessing most Church Sacraments.

“A person who uses physical force against the Roman Pontiff incurs a latae sententiae excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See; if he is a cleric, another penalty, not excluding dismissal from the clerical state, can be added according to the gravity of the delict,” according to the Code of Canon Law (Canon 1370). “A person who does this against a bishop incurs a latae sententiae interdict and, if he is a cleric, also a latae sententiae suspension.”

A censure forbidding the faithful, while still remaining in communion with the Church, the use of certain sacred privileges, such as Christian burial, some of the sacraments, and attendance at liturgical services. It does not exclude from Church membership, nor does it necessarily imply a personal fault of any individual affected by the interdict. When imposed for a fixed period, it is a vindictive penalty because of some grave act done against the common good of the Church by one or more parishes. Usual religious services are curtailed, but sacraments may be given to the dying, marriages celebrated, and Holy Communion administered if the interdict is general or local (not personal). A general interdict may be inflicted only by the Holy See. Parishes or persons may be interdicted only by the local ordinary.

Annett called for an interdict to be imposed on EWTN because of a February 15 World Over segment.

Arroyo was a close friend of Mother Angelica. He is the author of numerous books. As confusion has mounted during Pope Francis’ reign, his signature show, The World Over, has analyzed troubling developments in the Church. Arroyo often does this with the help of Father Gerald Murray and Robert Royal (the “papal posse”).

Spadaro, a Jesuit who is often called the pope’s “mouthpiece,” frequently criticizes critics of Amoris Laetitia’s ambiguity or the Francis pontificate. He is the editor-in-chief of La Civiltà Cattolica.

The World Over segment covered Spadaro’s recent speech at Georgetown University. Arroyo said he’d asked Spadaro for an interview but he said he was too busy.

During this speech at Georgetown, Spadaro said of the pope’s diplomacy: “The pope is light years away from the theorists of a clash of civilizations. Francis seeks to dissolve the narrative of a toxic final clash of religions that nourishes the fear of chaos.”

Fr. Murray told Arroyo those statements were “puzzling” because “it’s reducing human life to simply a game of ‘king of the hill.’ And the Church teaches the exact opposite. Human life is about fulfilling God’s will, knowing that will, and then trying to bring a society into accord with that will.”

Are you serious? A media group is causing this breakdown in the Church – not transforming Christ’s worlds on marriage, blessing gay weddings, overturning Humanae Vitae, orgies at the home of the popes closest adviser? How stupid can one be?

Note: Heartfelt thanks to all of you who expressed support and offered prayers over the past few days after stories appeared about a retweet by Antonio Spadaro S.J., a close collaborator of the Holy Father’s, calling on EWTN to fire Raymond Arroyo for his criticisms of various recent papal moves (and no doubt for the now five-year run of the Papal Posse). Or be placed under interdict.

This was either a weak attempt at intimidation or a lame attempt at humor – in either case, quite imprudent from someone who knows that what he says is taken, rightly or wrongly, to reflect back on Pope Francis.

Be assured, this portends no serious harm to me. This is why we have independent think-tanks and publications like The Catholic Thing, so that at least some in both Church and society may speak freely. Fr. Murray is most likely fine as well. But it’s not entirely a laughing matter for a prominent media figure like the talented Mr. Arroyo. If you want to express support, take a look at #imwithRaymond.

In any case, it will have no effect on our labors to understand and speak truth as we see it. – RR

6 Responses to Papal advisor retweets call for Church to shut down EWTN unless they fire Raymond Arroyo

Was not Mother Angelica in the same position during her tenure with the bishops of the time? EWTN was a threat to many bishops because she was teaching the depths of the church. While a large majority of bishops were very liberal and ecumenical and not teaching traditional beliefs from the pulpit, she was criticized by the modernists. Would not that be same with Raymond Arroyo who with the papal posse use logic and reason on some of the confusion coming out of the vatican?
It is a sad state of affairs that the CC can’t get its act together during this invasive time of atheism, mohammedism, and hedonism.

I support EWTN wholeheartedly both in my prayers and financially to a very great extent. EWTN is the best thing that happened to the Church since its founding by Jesus Christ. It is a favorite target of persecutors, and it will survive their malice.

“Satan will set up a counterchurch which will be the ape of the Catholic Church. . . . It will have all the notes and characteristics of the Church, but in reverse and emptied of its divine content.”
Fulton J. Sheen

Raymond Arroyo (a great friend of a Mother Angelica), Father Murray and Robert Royal are good orthodox Catholics who are doing no more than speaking the absolute truth of what the Catholic Church teaches. And for that Raymond Arroyo is going to be as good as “excommunicated”? Is that what we have come to through the orthodox Cardinals and Bishops not putting an end to these five years of horror after horror in this Pontificate?

I can well imagine what the feisty Mother Angelica would have had to say about this gang of thugs (Modernists and homosexuals) who have wormed their way up into the highest places of the Vatican, exactly as Our Lady predicted they would!. They are dead set on the destruction of the Holy Catholic Church and the creation of their Masonic One World Order. Just look at the all their shameful deeds and evil proposals in and for China, Chile, Germany, etc… in fact the whole Catholic world is becoming a target for their hammers of destruction.

How about the Church put an interdict on all these imposters in the Vatican instead? Mother Angelica was well aware of their wicked “hidden agenda”, and would have heartily agreed to this! Here is a video of her from 25 years ago:

Mother Angelica is dyno-mite with words. Archbishop Fulton Sheen also. Both had media outlets. Is it possible to recruit a similar person who can put those words to the media and have an effect like those 2 dynamos!! They presented themselves brave in the face of ridicule and confident to proclaim the truths of the church without cowering. If all of us could be so bold!!!!

Many Catholic blogs having been picking up on this ridiculous, yet scandalous, call for an interdict to be placed on EWTN unless they sacked their loyal Catholic and long-term reporter, Raymond Arroyo.
Like this post on Restore-DC-Catholicism, Father Spadaro Points Long Knives At Raymond Arroyo – Call Him Out On It, that recalls the case of another threatened Catholic for speaking the truth:

“It was almost exactly three years ago when Father Thomas Rosica, a highly-placed Vatican official, threatened to sue the blogger behind Vox Cantoris (see right side-bar). The latter had commented on public comments made by Rosica that betrayed Rosica’s dissident perspectives on matters of Catholic doctrine. Other faithful Catholic bloggers [including CP&S] shone the light on Rosica’s despicable attempts and he was forced to stand down lest he make the Vatican appear to be a bunch of vindictive fools.

Well, maybe it isn’t just a matter of appearances at the Vatican and perhaps they failed to learn their lessons. It appears that Father Antonio Spadaro has drawn his long knives and is pointing them directly at Raymond Arroyo of EWTN. LifeSiteNews shows where Spadaro retweeted a call for EWTN to be put under interdict if they don’t fire Arroyo.

I could be wrong, but I don’t believe an interdict can be placed on any group of Catholics because of some willy-nilly whim. Certain conditions must be present, one of them being the commission of a gravely immoral act. No one in their right minds can pretend that the discussions in which Arroyo is participating constitute gravely immoral acts. Perhaps the dissident lay Catholic who originally tweeted that nonsense doesn’t know that (and maybe doesn’t care), but certainly Spadaro should know better than that. Like Father Rosica did three years ago, Spadaro is making himself appear to be the vindictive fool, resenting the light that is being shone on his misdeeds – not to mention ignorance of canon law. But perhaps we’re not talking merely of “appearance”, but “fact”.

As we did for Vox Cantoris three years ago, so again must we do for Raymond Arroyo.”